After the trade deadline, I talked about how ‘the buck stops with Steve Yzerman,’ because regardless of what the Red Wings do from now until mid-April, his name is on this project. Even if the team tanked (without intention) and much of what occurred was outside his control, it won’t matter.
Hey, it might not sound fair, but that’s how the professional sports world rolls. Almost every sports fan imagines becoming a player, general manager, coach, or broadcaster when they’re growing up. They see these people as having the ‘cool job,’ and with it a high salary, social status, and influence.
I used to work as a personal trainer, and so many members saw my job as ‘being paid to work out and hang out at the gym all day.’ Yeah, that’s a plus, but here’s what nobody told me before I got into that job: You better be good at selling, or else, good luck making a living in that avenue. And that’s where the inevitable stress came in.
Back to the positions of general manager, coach, player, scout, broadcaster, etc. Yeah, they seem like fun jobs, except that they come with more stress than most would probably understand. And let’s be real: There’s a reason such a high turnover rate exists among coaches and general managers.
Is Steve Yzerman’s job on the line if the Red Wings miss the postseason again?
Following the trade deadline, I did a lot of reading about the Red Wings. Some praised Yzerman, others criticized him, and still others took the ‘wait and see’ approach. Red Wings fans aren’t used to these long playoff droughts, and Steve Yzerman was supposed to end this, which he hasn’t.
Still, would you envy the state this franchise was in when he took on the role? It doesn’t take anything more than a passing glance at the standings and the prospects pool for one to realize the Wings, as an organization, has been better off under Yzerman than they had with the previous regime.
But there’s always a chance none of this will matter if the Wings backslide again and miss the playoffs. No, it’s not fair, because while Yzerman could’ve done more at the trade deadline last week, he’s got this team in contention for the second year running.
That said, we’re also living in a world that expects immediate results, or else change is demanded, and it’s something we see so often in sports. How many coaches and executives get fired each season? Quite a few. And some of them are with teams that are at least halfway decent. Others, like former St. Louis Blues coach Drew Bannister, barely got a chance. But again, it doesn’t matter.
So, as for whether Yzerman loses his job after another near-idle trade deadline should the Wings miss the playoffs likely comes down to how much more patience this organization will have.
For me, I like playing the long game, but the ‘long game’ also means there should be a playoff appearance by Year 5. Yzerman is in Year 6, meaning I’d have done away with him last season, regardless of what he’s accomplished. But that’s not my decision to make.
For Steve Yzerman to keep his job, he must…
If the Red Wings end up in the playoffs, Yzerman is safe. Or better yet, I’d be ultra shocked if the Wings cut ties with him should they break their playoff drought. If the Wings miss the playoffs, then he needs to hope the organization is patient here.
Should the Wings barely miss the postseason as they did last year, it wouldn’t surprise me to see Yzerman back in Year 7. But if he can’t make the playoffs in seven seasons, then it’s time to move on. If you can’t make the playoffs in just under three-quarters of the decade, why keep faith in you, regardless of how much better off the team is.
I would only see Yzerman getting fired if the Wings played poorly over the next month. As I write this piece on Monday afternoon, Detroit’s riding a five-game losing streak and they’ve won just three of their past 10 contests. If they kept that up, I’m not saying I’d be shocked to see Yzerman back for Year 7, but it also wouldn’t surprise me if he was shown his walking papers and the door.